The Tampa Bay Buccaneers recovered in a big way on Sunday. A week after a 48-3 loss to the San Francisco 49ers, the Bucs returned home and fended off the New Orleans Saints, 26-20, improving to 4-2 and tying them atop the NFC South standings. The victory moved CBSSports.com's Pete Prisco to bump Tampa Bay up five slots in his NFL Power Rankings, to No. 10 overall.
How'd the Bucs turn around so well? Prisco credits the team's coach and its quarterback:
Give Raheem Morris big props for getting his team to bounce back against a good Saints team after that San Francisco thumping. Josh Freeman did the same.
Morris kept his team focused, Freeman posted his best passer rating (95.9) since Week 16 of the 2010 season, and the Bucs look as though they've returned to form. They battle the Saints again on Nov. 6--in New Orleans this time--in what figures to be a crucial matchup. In the meantime, they have the Chicago Bears this Sunday, followed by their bye week.
Prisco ranks the Bucs ahead of the Saints, as he dropped New Orleans to No. 12 following its loss to Tampa Bay. Elsewhere in the division, the Atlanta Falcons rank No. 12 after defeating the Carolina Panthers, who stay at No. 22.